Nalan Yanran: Is There Anything Wrong With Me Pursuing My Own Happiness?

Just as Xiao Yuan had guessed, the guests visiting the Xiao Clan today were indeed from the Misty Cloud Sect.

And they brought the same old trio as always—

An elder in moon-white robes, Ge Ye, a deacon of the Misty Cloud Sect and a Seven-Star Great Dou Shi;

And a youth of about twenty, possessing the cultivation of a Five-Star Dou Zhe, with a face as fair as white jade, though his name remained unknown.

Perhaps because Xiao Yuan's performance during the test yesterday had left everyone so stunned, the Xiao Clan disciples did not pay the youth the excessive attention he had received in the original story.

After all, in terms of looks, Xiao Yuan was far more handsome and dashing.

And in terms of cultivation, there was simply no comparison between a Seven-Star Dou Zhe and a Nine-Star Dou Shi.

Therefore, they focused their attention more on the young girl sitting beside the elder.

She possessed a noble temperament and an outstanding appearance.

A moon-white robe clung to her exquisite, petite frame, outlining her graceful curves.

She must be Nalan Yanran, right? Tsk tsk, she's just as described in the original story. She is indeed very beautiful—even Xiao Mei can't compare to her. I reckon that among everyone here, only Xun'er could suppress her.

Inside the Xiao Clan's reception hall, Xiao Yuan sat at the end of the table, observing the girl opposite him with an indifferent expression.

To his left sat Xun'er, who was quietly flipping through a thick, ancient book, looking as elegant and composed as ever.

Only, a faint blush adorned her cute, fair face; there was no telling what was running through her little head.

To his right was Xiao Yan.

Before the elders could make things difficult for him, he had prepared a seat for Xiao Yan right there.

However, he sat closer to Xun'er, as if terrified of being shoved aside by Xiao Yan.

But.

The moment his inner voice faded.

The girl opposite him whipped her head around.

"Who? Who is talking?!"

Nalan Yanran looked around, her face full of bewilderment.

But all she saw were faces filled with confusion.

No one knew what had suddenly come over this seemingly noble young lady. Even Xiao Zhan, who had been conversing with Ge Ye, stopped mid-sentence and asked in puzzled surprise:

"This young lady..."

"Ahem, Clan Leader Xiao, I actually have a question to ask."

Ge Ye suddenly gave a light cough and stood up.

He had no idea what kind of fit Nalan Yanran was throwing, but he spoke up to smooth things over.

"Haha, Mister Ge Ye, please speak. If I know the answer, I will naturally tell you everything."

"Very well. Clan Leader Xiao, do you still recognize her?" Ge Ye smiled slightly and gestured toward the girl beside him.

"Uh... forgive my poor eyesight, but this young lady..."

Xiao Zhan looked her up and down, then shook his head.

"...Her name is Nalan Yanran."

"Nalan Yanran? Old Master Nalan's granddaughter, Nalan Yanran?"

Xiao Zhan was slightly startled, and a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face: "So it is my niece Nalan. It has been many years since Uncle Xiao last saw you; please don't blame me for my poor eyesight."

"Uncle Xiao, I am the one who should be apologizing for not coming to pay my respects sooner. How could I ever blame you?"

Nalan Yanran gave Xiao Zhan a sweet smile.

But the smile was somewhat distracted.

She kept scanning her surroundings with her peripheral vision, hoping to find the person who had just spoken.

Yet, she found nothing.

Could it have been her imagination?

But she had clearly heard someone call her name and mention a girl named Xiao Mei, saying she didn't look as good as someone named Xun'er...

Suddenly, Nalan Yanran noticed Xiao Xun'er sitting in the corner.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the doors and windows, wrapping the girl in its glow.

From a distance, she looked like a purple lotus blooming in the mundane world—pure, graceful, and untouched by dust.

It had to be said that this sight truly stunned her for a moment.

More importantly, in that split second, their gazes met.

A trace of surprise and hesitation flickered in Xun'er's eyes, which were as clear as autumn water.

Could this Nalan Yanran also hear Brother Xiao Yuan's inner voice?

From the girl's strange behavior just now, Xun'er was certain of it!

Nalan Yanran, however, was wondering if the owner of that voice she had just heard was this beautiful girl.

But she dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.

That voice had clearly belonged to a boy.

For a moment, the two women harbored different thoughts, withdrawing their gazes as they passed each other.

At the same time, the next second, the inner voice rang out once more.

[What kind of madness has gotten into Nalan Yanran? Only Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye are talking; could it be that she thinks their voices are too noisy?]

[Heh, given Nalan Yanran's brainless, hysterical personality, that's not entirely impossible.]

[Otherwise, she wouldn't be mindless enough to drag a pretty boy and a sect deacon to someone's doorstep to break off an engagement. What kind of hypocritical drama is this?]

[She's really treating the Xiao Clan's face like a rag, rubbing it into the dirt for all it's worth!]

[Thinking about it, it's actually good that the engagement is being broken, though I feel bad for Xiao Yan... no, wait, shouldn't Hun Tiandi be the one to pity more?]

[If Hun Tiandi knew that his thousand-year grand plan failed because of this trivial Xiao Clan engagement annulment, would he rush over immediately to officiate the wedding for these two?]

[And maybe crush the Misty Cloud Sect like a firework to liven up the mood?]

As the inner voice faded, Xiao Yuan was already drowned out by a series of dinging notification sounds.

He didn't know what was going on today; the drop rate seemed incredibly high, and he had received so many items that he didn't even have time to check them.

Beside him, Xun'er's breath hitched slightly as she heard his inner voice.

What had she just heard?

Hun Tiandi's thousand-year grand plan?!

She knew who Hun Tiandi was: the patriarch of the Hun Clan, one of the eight ancient clans, and a nine-star Dou Sheng just like her father.

It was rumored that the former Xiao Clan patriarch, Xiao Xuan, had died due to Hun Tiandi's schemes.

Now, hearing about some "thousand-year grand plan" from Xiao Yuan, her thoughts were thrown into chaos.

She desperately wanted to ask what exactly Hun Tiandi was planning, so she could tell her father to be on guard.

But in the end, she held back.

She could not expose the fact that she could hear Xiao Yuan's inner voice.

She feared that if she were exposed, Xiao Yuan would distance himself from her, and she feared even more that she would never hear any more secrets or gossip.

It would be of no benefit to her whatsoever.

At this moment, Nalan Yanran was nearly driven mad with rage.

What did he mean by "brainless, hysterical woman"?!

What was wrong with wanting to break off an engagement?

Was it wrong to not want to be shackled and to pursue her own happiness?!

And what was this about bringing a "pretty boy" to their doorstep?

It was clearly Mo Li who had insisted on tagging along!

Thinking of this, Nalan Yanran glared fiercely at the jade-white youth beside her, the look of disgust in her eyes intensifying!

But Mo Li didn't understand the meaning behind that look at all; thinking Nalan Yanran was just nervous, he offered her a comforting smile.

Nalan Yanran ignored Mo Li, instead pondering who this "Hun Tiandi" she had just heard about was.

Why should this guy come over to officiate her wedding!

She was the dignified Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect and the daughter of the Nalan Family; why couldn't she hold her own fate in her hands!

Little did she know, the Hun Tiandi she spoke of could crush countless Misty Cloud Sects with a casual wave of his hand.